Be Prepared To Wait Even Longer to Get Your Minnesota Driver’s License

It's always taken a while to get your new driver's license after you renew it, but it looks like now you might have an even longer wait.

Minnesota Dept. of Public Safety/Driver Vehicle Services

Renewing your driver's license was always a two-step process: You'd first head down to the DMV, get your eyes tested, your picture taken and you'd walk out with a piece of yellow paper that would be your temporary license that proved you were a legal driver. A few weeks later, you new Minnesota license, complete with new picture, would arrive in the mail.

But, as the state starts to ramp up production of those much-talked-about Real ID drivers licenses, it looks like you'll be waiting even longer to get your new license after you renew it. Ever since Minnesota and other states started adding extra security features required by the federal government for the Real ID's, state officials are thinking it'll take even longer to get everything back to you.

The story says, "The Minnesota Department of Vehicle Services has confirmed that its temporary licenses, the yellow paper you get whenever you apply for a new driver's license or renew it, will now be valid for four months instead of the usual two."

It says the change will only affect you if you apply for the new Real ID, which isn't required-- at least, not yet, anyway. The Minnesota DVS explains:

"Minnesotans will be able to apply for a REAL ID-compliant card in October 2018, but they will have two years to obtain one if they choose. That means Minnesotans will be able to use their standard licenses and ID cards for federal purposes, including boarding domestic flights, until October 1, 2020."